Graham Parker
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1975-) as Graham Parker and the Rumour - Bob Andrews -- keyboards, backing vocals - Martin Belmont -- rhythm guitar, backing vocals - Andrew Bodnar -- bass, brass - Steve Goulding -- drums, percussion, backing vocals - Graham Parker -- vocals, guitar - Brinsley Schwarz – guitar, keyboards, sax, backing vocals
supporting musicians (1976) - Paul Bailey -- guitar - Noel Brown -- slide guitar, dobro - Dave Conners -- sax - Ed Deane -- slide guitar - John "Viscount" Earle -- baritone saxophone - Dave Edmunds -- guitar - Danny Ellis -- trombone - Herschel Holder -- trumpet - Stewart Lynas -- sax - Dave Otway -- drums - Paul Riley -- bass
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- Bob Andrews (solo efforts) - Bob Andrews & RKR-CB (Bob Andrews) - The Balham Alligators (Martin Belmont) - Martin Belmont (solo efforts) - Brinsley Schwarz (Bob Andrews and Brinsley Schwarz) - Duck Deluxe (Martin Belmont and Brinsley Schwarz) - The Duplicates - Edward The Second And The Red Hot Polkas (Steve Goulding) - The Gang of Four ( Steve Goulding) - Kippington Lodge (Bob Andrews and Brinsley Schwarz) - Nick Lowe And His Cowboy Outfit (Martin Belmont) - Nick Lowe & His Noise To Go (Martin Belmont) - The Mekons ( Steve Goulding) - Graham Parker And The Fact (Andrew Bodnar and Brinsley - Graham Parker & The Goldtops (Martin Belmont) Schwarz) - Graham Parker And The Shot (Brinsley Schwarz) - The Pine Valley Cosmonauts ( Steve Goulding) - Los Pistoleros (Martin Belmont) - Poi Dog Pondering ( Steve Goulding) - The Rumour - The Sing Market (Andrew Bodnar)\ - Sally Timms And The Drifting Cowgirls ( Steve Goulding) - The Waco Brothers ( Steve Goulding) - Hank Wangford & The Lost Cowboys (Martin Belmont)
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Genre: rock Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Howlin' Wind Company: Mercury Catalog: SRM-1-1095 Country/State: Hackney, East London, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor cover wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $15.00
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During the late-'70s and early-'80s Graham Parker and the Rumour were briefly the teacher's pet for a wide array of music critics. For goodness sakes, Robert Christgau even fawned over their debut album. For that brief period Parker and company could do no wrong, though they couldn't sell much to the skeptical American public. I was in high school and college during those years; heard several of their records and even bought a couple (including this one which I've held on to for some four-plus decades). I have to admit to taking an instant liking to Parker, but I could also see why American audiences weren't won over. As a scrawny, white, English guy with short hair and bad teeth Parker sure didn't look like your typical rock star. Perhaps it was just media coverage, but he seemingly had a massive chip on his shoulder, managing to make Van Morrison look like an extrovert. I seem to remember a couple of interviews where he even took on the very critics who loved him. You would have thought the latter act would have made Parker a superstar.
The web has a ton of material on Graham Parker's lengthy musical career. Rather than regurgitate it I'll just start in 1975. By this point, while holding down a series of dead-end blue collar jobs (breeding lab animals, ditch digger, tomato picker on the Channel Island of Guernsey, working in a bakery, a dock worker in Gibraltar, gas station attendant, etc.). He'd been a performing musician for five years, though he'd made little progress. Determined to make it as a musician in 1974 he placed an ad looking for musicians in Melody Maker. The ad put him in contact with guitarist Noel Brown and former Chilli Willi bassist Paul Riley. Brown helped Parker get a gig at a small London Restaurant while Riley introduced him to former Brinsley Schwarz manager Dave Robinson. Robinson was impressed and recorded some demos with Parker at his small London recording studio. Parker's initial break came when DJ Charlie Gillet played the demo 'Nothin's Gonna Pull Us Apart" on BBC London's "Honky Tonk" radio show. A&R man/producer Nigel Grainge heard the song and signed Parker to a recording contract with Vertigo. Mercury picked up American distribution rights.
Produced by former Brinsley Schwartz singer/bassist Nick Lowe, Parker's 1976 debut 'Howlin' Wind" was credited as a Parker solo album. Tracks like 'Back to Schooldays', 'Nothin's Gonna Pull Us Apart' and 'Not If It Pleases Me' featured re-recorded versions of demos Parker had previously recorded with Robinson; the rest of the album featuring new studio material with support from his back band The Rumour. Anyone coming to this album expecting to hear a slice of mid-'70s punk was going to be surprised. For one thing The Rumour were not just another safety pin adorned, musically incompetent punk band. Keyboardist Bob Andrews and guitarist Brinsley Schwarz had both been members of Brinsley Schwarz. Rhythm guitarist Martin Belmont had been a member of former Ducks Deluxe. Bass player Andrew Bodnar and drummer Steve Goulding had been playing together for years as a for-hire rhythm section. That combined experience made them the perfect entity to support Parker's growling voice through a first-rate mixture of Parker-penned folk, R&B, rock, reggae and soul moves. As a big pub rock fan, I've always thought the album fit under that musical header - pub rock, but pub rock with a dark, biting edge. Listening to tracks like 'Back to Schooldays' and the reggae-tinged 'Don't Ask Me Questions' it was pretty clear Parker had not grown up as part of the English landed gentry. That gave the album a gritty, working-class edge. There was nothing fancy in these grooves. No big concept pieces. No bouts of progressive twiddling. Imagine a cross between young Van Morrison and prime Bruce Springsteen. At the same time, listening to songs like 'White Honey' and the single 'Soul Shoes' it was clear Parker had a dark, dry sense of humor and could totally rock out. Great debut album and its sad more people aren't familiar with it.
"Howlin'
Wind" track listing: 1.) White Honey (Graham Parker) - 3:33 rating: **** stars 'White Honey' opened the album with a slamming slice of blue-eyed soul. Great melody, Stax-styled horns and The Rumour providing honey-sweet backing vocals. Imagine prime time early Van Morrison and Them. The song reappeared as the "B" side on the French version of Parker's 'Soul Shoes' 45. YouTube has a great clip of the song from a 1977 performance of the song on the BBC's Sight and Sound concert series: Graham Parker And The Rumour - White Honey 2.) Nothin's Gonna Pull Us Apart (Graham Parker) - 3:21 rating: *** stars Powered by Brinsley Schwarz guitar, the ballad 'Nothin's Gonna Pull Us Apart' sounded like something off the soundtrack for a Western movie. he song was another early demo Parker had recorded for former Brinsley Schwarz manager Dave Robinson. Parked played the song during an appearance on the Charley Gillet hosted "Only Tonk" radio program. Phonogram Records A&R man/producer Nigel Grainge heard the performance and signed a recording contract for Parker and his then-manager Robinson. 3.) Silly Thing (Graham Parker) - 2:51 rating: **** stars Does anyone do breezy R&B better than Parker? Perhaps Van Morrison on a good day (which happens less and less these days).
Lifted from the 1976 "Live at Marble Arch" album (Phonogram catalog number GP 1), a live version of the song was released as a single:
- 1976's 'Sill Thing' b/w 'Kansas City' (Vertigo catalog number GPS 1)
Here's another live performance from their 1977 performance at London's Hippadrome (featured on the Sight and Sound concert series): Graham Parker & The Rumour-Silly Thing Live 1977
4.) Gypsy Blood (Graham Parker) - 4:37 rating: **** stars Simply said, the ballad 'Gypsy Blood' was one of the prettiest songs in Parker's repertoire. The switch-over from acoustic to full band segments will blow your speakers apart. 5.) Between You and Me (Graham Parker) - 2:25 rating: **** stars 'Between You and Me' was one of the first demos Parker had recorded for former Brinsley Schwarz manager Dave Robinson. Parker and the Rumour re-recorded the track, but ultimately decided the demo was better; the final product updated with some additional guitar work. The most commercial thing on the album, the breezy acoustic ballad perfectly captured the melancholy of a romantic breakup. For anyone who doubted Parker's commercial viability, this is the song to check out.
6.) Back to Schooldays (Graham Parker) - 2:54 rating: **** stars With David Edmunds on lead guitar and Noel Brown on slide guitar, the rockabilly-flavored 'Back To School' aptly showcased Parker's "pissed off" persona. Showcasing some snarling vocals, you got the feeling Parker was not a big fan of the English school system.
The song was tapped as a French 45:
- 1976's 'Back to Schooldays' b/w '(Hey Lord) Don't Ask Me Questions' (Vertigo catalog number 6059 145)
It also appeared on an early Stiff Records compilation set - "A Bunch of Stiff Records" (Stiff catalog number SEEZ 2).
Filmed for the German Rockpalast television series, YouTube has a 1978 performance of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KROruSpKHjg
(side
2) After all these years I'm still puzzled why 'Soul Shoes' didn't provide Parker and company with a massive hit. Every bit as good as mid-'70s Stones releases, had Jagger and Richards released it, I'm pretty sure it would have been a hit. Powered by Ed Dean's slide guitar, it sure sounded like Stones tune. The track was releases as a single throughout the world:
- 1976's 'Soul Shoes' b/w 'You've Got To Be Kidding' (Mercury catalog number 73834) 2.) Lady Doctor (Graham Parker) - 2:50 rating: *** stars The album's bluesiest offering, 'Lady Doctor' showcased Parker had a sense of humor. Nah, it wasn't anywhere near as good as some of the other songs, but the lyrics were funny - "I went in with a heart burn into the surgery / To my surprise two pretty eyes was running up and down me / Said now be a patient patient stretch right out on that couch ..." Stewart Lynas on sax. 3.) You've Got to Be Kidding (Graham Parker) - 3:30 rating: *** stars Hearing the fade-in introduction I remember wondering it something was wrong with my stylus. Pretty ballad giving Bob Andrews a chance to stretch out on organ. 4.) Howlin' Wind (Graham Parker) - 3:58 rating: **** stars The title track was another track featuring a Van Morrison vibe; though without the weird mid-'70s mysticism that clogged much of his catalog. Kudos to Bob Andrews keyboards and Andrew Bodnar's thundering bass line. The song was tapped as the "B" side on the Italian ''(Hey Lord) Don't Ask Me Any Questions' ' 45. Recorded during his "Squeezing Out Sparks" tour, YouTube has a May, 1979 performance of the song at Atlanta's Agora Ball Room: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn0pYn4h4n4 5.) Not If It Pleases Me (Graham Parker) - 3:12 rating: *** stars Featuring Noel Brown's dobro, 'Not If It Pleases Me' was a decent slice of country-blues. Again, nothing special to my ears. 6.) Don't Ask Me Questions (Graham Parker) - 5:38 rating: **** stars 'Don't Ask Me Questions' sported a combination of a bouncy reggae rhythm and some of Parker's darkest lyrics "Well I see the thousands screaming rushing for the cliffs / Just like lemmings into the sea, Well well well / Who waves his mighty hand and breaks the precious rules? / Well the same one must understand who wasted all these fools ..." No idea what Parker's religious beliefs are, but I've always found it funny that a song like XTC's 'Dear God' generated a firestorm upon it's release, but Parker's lyrics seemingly questioning the fairness of a spiteful God became a fan favorite. It's still part of Parker's live set list.
The song was subsequently tapped as an Italian 45:
- 1976's '(Hey Lord) Don't Ask Me Any Questions' b/w 'Howlin' Wind' (Vertigo catalog number 6059 149)
With a slightly different arrangement and title the song was included on Parker's 1978 live set "The Parkerilla". Filmed for The Old Grey Whistle Test television series, YouTube has a blazing performance of the tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYOR4TcHrOM
© Scott R. Blackerby February, 2025
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